From virtual bicycles to cyberpunk novels
It’s been a weird year at RPS for me.
After eight years as news editor, I started the nebulous new role of associate editor.
This freedom has felt great when I’ve had ideas, and terrible when I’ve not.
Hopefully you have enjoyed some of it too.
Here are a few of my favourite things I’ve written this year!
Your view wobbling and jostling.
The shudder when a corner is a little tight.
The sound of tyre biting into terrain on turns.
Little creaks and rattles from components.
My rider panting and gasping.
The whoosh of passing objects.
Long grass tapping in my spokes, bushes scratching at my side.
Simply riding a bicycle is fun in this game.
I especially like that Riders Republic evokes some terrors of cycling.
Bikes noisily skid and shudder when pushed too far, threatening to go out of control.
The field of view pulls out at high speeds too, a slightly out-of-body experience.
I hate it, and that’s great.
The sky above the port was the colour of YouTube, tuned to a dead channel.
5arah.eth flicked off her augmented reality video overlay and cursed.
Damn, the Web 2.0 centralisers had finally cracked down on Elizab.eth, her favourite content creator.
“Guess who’s back, motherfungers.”
Because we all know that Cyber Monday is about cyberspace and hackers and cyberpunk and nothing else.
I had hoped to do more, and better, but ah it’s okay.
I did find it very funny thatWilliam Gibson himselfresponded to chat about mirrorshades as an infosec hazard.
Mirrorshades are a powerful accessory.
On a practical level, they’re defensive.
Mirrorshades also protect you from the retinal scans of The Man and His many drones and spycams.
They’re emotionally defensive too.
Eyes are windows to the soul, they say, and you refuse to make a connection.
Let no one meet your eye (and certainly not know if you’re about to cry).
When someone looks at you, they see only themself staring back.
When you don mirrorshades, you’re standing behind a one-way mirror with the world as your interrogation room.
But I fear mirrorshades may have become unsafe.
I enjoyed the process of taking that mirrorshades photo too.
This would have been so much easier with a real camera, or an assistant.
Why faff with mods when you might shrink your wizard down to 30% of their normal size?
I was very pleased to think of this solution.
After a few snaps, I have a screenshot I’m happy with.
I don’t know what will happen after Elon Musk kills Twitter.
Reader The Dear, my friend, swallow your spite.
Punch down the feeling that you are being insulted.
Question your knee-jerk reaction that this is beneath you.
She doesn’t know you.
These ten level 1 rats are a test.
Could you kill a rat?
I’m asking both physically and emotionally.
Have you seen how fast rats move?
Have you seen how cute they are?
Can you kill one and then keep on killing after the first fleck of blood hits your face?
Can you heave aside the sacks of neeps and tatties his family will flee behind?
She can’t keep doing this.
Yes, the ruminations on its decay will, I am sorry to say, continue.
Certainly nothing to do with me processing grief in a way I think some people might find funny.
You felt the pressure give out against your wrist, heard a flop, and looked down.
A lump fell out.
A big lump, by your foot.
After the dread of what might happen when it inevitably emerged, it was just there.
You pick the lump up and look at it.
It’s a big lump, no doubt.
Yet you’re surprised by how calm you feel.
It’s not so bad out in the open.
This is what you were so worried about?
It’s not so bad.
Let’s find out together.
